TABLE OF CONTENTS Technology has moved on apace since the relatively limited applications initially envisaged for non-porous Ti 4O 7 as a possible electrode material. Just as there are infinite variations in the metallurgical constitution of an alloy, so too does the science and technology of ceramics offer countless variants on a given theme. Innumerable solid state reactions are possible to allow formation of a host of complex materials, including those whose metastable state might offer novel properties and behaviour. Might some such materials be more electrically conducting than Ti 4O 7, or, still more exciting, exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity, or be cheaper? One can but speculate, but certainly, ceramics based on titanates and zirconates are well-known and indeed electrically conducting. A major attraction of Ti 4O 7 that it can be produced from TiO 2, a commodity chemical readily available across the world.
The technology of Ti 4O 7 manufacture will undoubtedly continue to evolve. New methods of forming may well be considered. Could material be made directly from the commonly occurring mineral ilmenite ? probably not!. Might ammonia or carbon monoxide reductions be preferable to hydrogen? Might solid-state reduction using carbon be a longer-term commercial option?
In an attempt to compare Ti 4O 7 with other similar solids, some preliminary experiments were carried out on titanium carbides and nitrides, both of which were found to have poorer corrosion resistance in sulphuric acid. Compounds exhibiting interesting electrochemical characteristics...
